


In the Heart

by glackedandmullered



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Panic Attack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-12
Updated: 2014-04-12
Packaged: 2018-01-19 02:38:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1452394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glackedandmullered/pseuds/glackedandmullered
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for a prompt on tumblr. In one of the podcasts and on twitter, Michael talked about his trip to the ER for suspected heart problems. Even though it was only a pulled muscle, I was hoping you could write a fic about this happening when Michael's in a relationship with the rest of the guys.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In the Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: AHOT6 (Michael-Centric) In one of the podcasts and on twitter, Michael talked about his trip to the ER for suspected heart problems. Even though it was only a pulled muscle, I was hoping you could write a fic about this happening when Michael's in a relationship with the rest of the guys.

It had been a long standing joke, both in the company and within the achievement hunter guys’ household, that if Michael were to go early it would be because his heart gave out from his excessive over-raging.

They never thought anything of it when they told their jokes and laughed when Michael opened the door after a rage quit recording, red faced and out of breath. It was never given a second thought when they warned him that he would explode one day during let’s plays, they never really thought that anything would happen. So when it did, they were terrified.

\---

It happened when he was tackling Gavin, the Brit having slaughtered him one too many times and Michael just couldn’t help himself. The men around him laughed loudly with Jack dictating everything for the benefit of the audience as Lindsay leaned in close with her phone, recording the whole thing. A sudden pain startled him, shooting down his left side and electrocuting the veins in his arm causing him to gasp aloud, letting go of Gavin. He drew in, or at least attempted to draw in, a deep breath which stuttered in his throat. His heart wouldn't slow down, continuing to beat rapidly against his ribcage. His chest burned as he collapsed sideways, barely registering the harsh collision between his shoulder and the floor as he tried desperately to breathe through the pain. Hands grabbed at his arms, his shoulders, one on his chin forcing him to look up into Ryans concerned gaze.

The man was saying something; Michael could tell from the way his lips were moving and he was frowning, but he couldn’t hear the words. Worried muffled sounds were filtering through floods of water and everything so blurry that, for a second, Michael thought he had lost his glasses, but the telltale sharpness of the frames pressing into the side of his face told him differently.

“Breathe, Michael.” A voice was repeating to him but he was certainly struggling to comply to their wishes. Every inhale hit a road-block and each exhale came too fast, he was choking, every wave of pain threatening to throw him off the edge of the world. His fingers scrabbled for purchase on the carpet, but there was nothing for him to hold.

He was pretty sure he was dying.

A firm but gentle hand was rubbing up and down his spine and Michael realised someone had sat him up, he could feel a weight against his shoulder, a weight that was shaking with fine tremors.

“Calm down, love.” The voice repeated again, the cramping slowing as his eyes focused on Ryan who was still in front of him, and past him to where Lindsay was holding a hand to her face, she looked as terrified as Michael felt. He clutched his chest even as the pain started to fade, his ribs weren’t burning any more but the sharp waves of agony were still radiating down his arm, his fingers no longer grappling at the carpet, instead weakly clutching the warm hand that was now in his grasp.

“There’s an ambulance coming, Michael. Hold on, someone’s coming.” The voice reassured, though the high pitched nature of the tone didn’t particularly make Michel feel any calmer. The hand remained on his back, a calming anchor holding him to reality as everything around him turned to stars.

The ambulance took seconds to arrive, either that or Michael blacked out, a theory that he wasn’t about to discount, and he was being lifted from the ground. The majority of the pain had faded now, his mind a little clearer, though exhaustion seeped into every vein and muscle in his body. The last things he saw were the bright florescent ambulance lights and Geoff forcing his way into the back of the vehicle, a large warm hand slipped into Michaels before it was tugged away, but Geoffs voice still played strong through the mayhem.

“I’m here with you, Michael.”

\---

“A pinched nerve…” Michael repeated slowly to the young, female doctor who stood at the end of his bed, arms wrapped around a clipboard.

She nodded in response and reached across Gavin, who was huddled so close to Michael that it was hard to get to him. “Yep, right here.” She pointed a finger just to the side of the hollow in Michaels neck, it twinged with phantom pain as he flinched slightly. A goddamn pinched nerve? Was he stupid? He thought he had been dying, he absolutely thought he had been dying and all it had been was a damn pinched nerve.

“So he didn’t have a heart attack.” Gavin squeaked and Ryan scooted closer to the Brit, taking a hand in his own and rubbing his thumb over the skin gently.

“No, not at all, though I’m sure it certainly felt like it.” Michael found himself nodding, leaning further into Geoffs hand which was holding his shoulder firmly in support.

"Wait," Geoff interjected, a confused expression marring his face as he regarded the doctor,"But what about the trouble breathing, even I know that doesn't come from a trapped nerve." She smiled warmly and hooked the clipboard over the end of the bed.

"Mr Jones, have you ever had a panic attack before?" Michael shook his head, his brow furrowed. He'd never experienced one but he had known a kid in school who had them all the time.

"No, never."

"Well now you have. The pain in your arm came from the damaged nerve, the chest pain was only from your panic that this was something more. You're fine, just rest for a few hours and you'll feel much better." He nodded again, unable to get the words out as she informed them she would get the discharge papers and excused herself.

“So…” Michael mumbled awkwardly after watching the others in silence, Ray was leaning against the window with Jack at his side, while Geoff flopped into the chair beside him, kicking his feet up to rest on the bed. Ryan leaned across the bed to knock them down, tutting at Geoffs childish frown.

“I thought you were gonna die.” Gavin said with a blush, his cheeks turning pink in apparent shame for his thoughts.

“So did I Gav.” Michael whispered, smiling shakily and let out a slow exhale.

“You shouldn’t do that again.” Michael laughed.

“Didn’t intend to.” Gavin cut him off with a raised hand and such a stern look on his face that Michael almost laughed again. Almost.

“No, I mean it. You do that again, I’ll never talk to you again.” He tucked himself against Michael on the bed, warm hand idly rubbing the redheads stomach through the sheets.

“Yeah okay, Gav. I’ll tell my body to stop all injuries for the foreseeable future.” He joked, but he kept a serious lilt to his voice, he could practically see the ache in the hearts of his boyfriends that he had caused.

As he said to Gavin, he never intended to have that happen again. Even as a joke.


End file.
